Kampmann Disappointed in Performance, Happy for Submission Win at UFC on FX 2

Alves proved to be the more accurate, powerful fighter throughout
much of their headlining welterweight attraction at the Allphones
Arena in Sydney. Continually lighting up Kampmann with leg kicks
and straight punches, Alves controlled most of the bout’s
action.

“I’ll be honest. I’ve got kind of a sore leg right now, even though
he didn’t hit me that many times. I was prepared to counter the low
kicks with a straight right or block them,” Kampmann said at the
post-fight press conference. “I wanted to take him down, because I
felt I had the better ground game. Unfortunately, I was walking
into some punches on the way in. Sometimes, that’s how it
goes.”

Kampmann’s most effective strike of the fight came in round one,
when the 29 year old connected with a front kick to Alves’ jaw and
followed with a series of punch combinations. However, Alves
survived the flurry to finish the round impressively, taking
Kampmann down and mounting him.

“I shook him in the first round with that kick, but I knew I
probably had to finish him in that third round,” said Kampmann.
“Even though I shook him in the first round, he ended up on top of
me. And in the second round, he was getting the better of the
striking exchanges.”

Continually standing on the end of his opponent’s range, Kampmann
had his head snapped back multiple times by Alves in the final two
rounds, as the Brazilian settled into a rhythm and stuffed each of
Kampmann’s takedown attempts.

“I was behind in there. I’ll be honest. Thiago was getting me with
some good shots, and I wanted to take him down,” said Kampmann. “I
was walking into too many punches, and that was not a part of the
game plan. It’s a good thing I have a good chin and can eat some
shots.”

With time running low in the final frame, Alves made a critical
error in judgment that cost him the fight. After staggering the
Dane with a combination in the bout’s waning seconds, Alves dived
for a double-leg takedown. Kampmann quickly responded by locking up
a tight arm-in guillotine choke and rolling on top of the
American Top Team fighter. Trapped under Kampmann’s mount,
Alves had no choice but to tap out at 4:12 of round three.

“It was in my mind that I had to step it up, because I was behind,”
said Kampmann. “When I got the opportunity to put in the
submission, I grabbed onto that choke and squeezed for dear life. I
was disappointed in my performance, but I was happy to get the
submission.”